Tennis legend Serena Williams made a surprise appearance during Kendrick Lamar’s halftime performance at the Super Bowl on Sunday, wowing the crowd with her crip walk—a dance move with deep roots in Los Angeles culture.
The gesture symbolized the duo’s shared connection to the city.
However, the performance also stirred memories of a past controversy.
Williams faced backlash at Wimbledon in 2012 when she celebrated her Olympic gold medal victory over Maria Sharapova with the same dance move.
Critics accused her of promoting gang culture, given the crip walk’s origin in the 1970s as a signature move of the Los Angeles-based street gang, the Crips.
Over time, the dance became a staple in hip-hop culture, especially among those with ties to L.A.
Addressing the Wimbledon incident, Williams posted a lighthearted video backstage at the Super Bowl, laughing off the criticism.
“Man, I did not crip walk like that at Wimbledon,” she said. “Oh, I would’ve been fined.” She added, “It was all love,” referring to the Super Bowl performance.
Williams had previously defended her 2012 celebration, calling it nothing more than a dance.
Many of her supporters believed the criticism was overblown and even racially biased.
“It was just a dance,” Williams reiterated back then.
Her Super Bowl cameo also sparked curiosity for another reason—Williams has a past connection to rapper Drake, a known rival of Lamar.
During the performance, Lamar seemingly referenced their history in his Grammy-winning diss track, Not Like Us, where he warns Drake, “better not speak on Serena.”
Williams, who grew up in Compton, California, has been married to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian since 2017.
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